The Official Guide to Slightly Less Basic Halloween Costumes

Don’t: look like every other bitch

by ISABEL DUNCAN ★ OCTOBER 13, 2021

Halloween is back for the first semi-normal semester since my freshman year, and I think we can all agree that it’s go big or go home. The four-person dorm room Halloween parties are a thing of the past; it’s time to GO. ALL. OUT. But along with the excitement of stepping out in your perfectly calculated and curated angel costume, really look at yourself and take a moment to consider... “Am I...BASIC?” As you watch every other girl walk out of their dorm rooms as angels, devils, or--God forbid--space cowboys (!) are you going to be scrambling to come up with a backup costume so you don’t blend in with the crowd? Well, here’s the official (slightly) less basic Halloween costume guide.

Don’t: Space Cowboys

If you’re aching to do a fun group costume with your friends, please, for the love of god, discard the already dated Space Cowgirls costume and go for something a bit less overdone. 

Do: Winx Club

If your group loves to go all out, this is the costume for you. You could play this cute or sexy and could edit it to fit any group size. 

Do: Cinderella Story Angel 

Come on, we all wanted to be these girls when we were watching this movie for the first time. The traditional angel costume is an obvious no, but you probably have your leftover wings from every year before, so let’s put them to use! There is something about this group costume that screams peak Y2k fashion; very on-trend.

Don’t: Angel and Devil

POV: you and your bestie want to go as a sexy duo (because who needs a couples costume). You rummage through your drawer and find a sexy red dress and a cute white lingerie set. You think, “let’s take the easy way out and just be an angel and a devil!” It’s time to leave this tired-out, good-cop-bad-cop look in middle school. For those iconic BFF duos, instead, try...

Do: Daphne and Velma 

This could also be a group costume if you have guy friends or boyfriends that want to be involved (Shaggy, anyone?). This could be played up or down and also you probably already have a cute red skirt, a trendy pair of glasses, and strappy heels in your closet. 

Do: Maddy and Cassie 

Nobody can ever forget the toxic duo Maddy and Cassie from Euphoria. This costume is a bit harder to recreate and you will be combing rhinestones out of your hair until Thanksgiving, but it is a small price to pay for being that hot and powerful.

Do: Paris Hilton and Kim K 2000s

A perfect time to bust out the juicy couture sweatsuits and Y2k accessories and be one of the best problematic duos. Bitch, you’re f*cking Paris.

Don’t: Schoolgirl

While it’s obviously a sexy costume and you can spin it to say, “I’m Britney in Hit Me Baby, One More Time” or “I’m Blair Waldorf!” you can leave the pleated tennis skirt behind and get a little more creative.

Don’t: Catwoman

I understand the urge to wear full-body leather, but there are other ways to do this costume that are just as sexy, but a lot less cheugy.

Do: Britney in Oops I Did It Again

This costume is peak Britney, and you still get the full-body leather but there won’t be 40 other girls dressed the same as you running around Comstock.

FOR THE COUPLES

If you have somehow convinced your sneaky link or your boyfriend to do a couples costume, first thing props to you, second, please do not go for an overdone and overly easy costume just because your ~boy~ is lazy.

Don’t: Nasa Scientist and Alien

This is so overdone in previous years, and it’s really just an excuse for boys to get lazy with a costume. Make your man work for your couple’s costume; you deserve it, boo. Also, anything space-themed is too close to the ~space cowboy~ anyway.

Do: Indiana Jones and Lara Croft

This is the perfect costume to do with your boyfriend, not only can he put it together with things in his closet he also gets to dress up as his childhood hero. You also get to dress up in a fun and sexy costume...only for yourself, of course.

Do: Timmy Turner and Trixie Tang

This is the ultimate costume for the more cutesy and innocent couple, and if you both liked cartoons as a kid, here you go. It’s so easy to find these outfits right in your closet, and if your man doesn’t have a pink hat, think of this as a reason to go to target. 

Do: Fred and Daphne

This is for a couple that likes to go big instead of just going for something easy because you really have to commit to this costume to get it right. It can be done with things in your closet if he owns a blue collared shirt and a plain white crew neck but he needs to commit to the early 80s/Y2k mixed vibe to really do this costume justice.

Out with the basic Halloween costumes this year, because girl, you can do better. Whether you’re popping of solo, dressing up with your BFF, or locked down your boo, these (somewhat) unique costumes are sure to be the life of the party.